American is stabbed outside US embassy

An assailant stabbed an American man Thursday while they were standing outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, security officials said.

The area around the U.S. Embassy has been the site of anti-American incidents and violence in the past, but stabbing attacks are uncommon despite political unrest that has roiled Egypt since the 2011 uprising.

Embassy spokesman David Ranz confirmed that a U.S. citizen was stabbed near the embassy, and said he was immediately rushed to the hospital. His condition was not known.

Minn. House OKs gay-marriage bill

st. paul, minn.

A bipartisan coalition in the Minnesota House passed a measure Thursday to legalize same sex-marriage, setting in motion what could be a historic turning point for gay and lesbian rights in Minnesota.

The dramatic vote came after a sometimes passionate, three-hour debate that culminated when four Republican members privately wrestling with the issue joined a majority of Democrats to pass the measure 75-59. The debate raged as hundreds of advocates from both sides gathered outside the House gallery chanting, waving signs and praying.

Fire kills 8; toll from collapse hits 950

dhaka, bangladesh

A fire at a sweater manufacturer killed eight people — including a senior police officer, a Bangladeshi politician and a top clothing industry official — barely two weeks after the collapse of a building housing other garment factories where the death toll approached 1,000 Thursday.

Unlike the collapse at the Rana Plaza building, which was blamed on shoddy construction and disregard for safety regulations, the Tung Hai Sweater factory appearedSFlbto have conformed to building codes. A top fire official said the deaths in Wednesday night’s fire were caused by panic and bad luck.

Immigration-bill coalition clears tests

washington

The bipartisan coalition behind a contentious overhaul of immigration laws stuck together on a critical early series of test votes Thursday, turning back challenges from conservative critics as the Senate Judiciary Committee refined legislation to secure the borders and grant eventual citizenship to millions living in the U.S. illegally.

The panel rejected numerous moves to impose tougher conditions on border security before immigrants who entered the country illegally could take the first steps along a new pathway toward citizenship.

Abduction, attacks mar pre-election time

islamabad

An especially violent spate of killings, kidnappings and bombings marred the run-up to Pakistan’s nationwide election, capped Thursday by the abduction of the son of a former prime minister as he was rallying supporters on the last day of campaigning before the historic vote.

Saturday’s election marks the first time in Pakistan’s military coup-riddled history that a civilian government has finished its term and will hand over power to another.

More than 125 people have been killed by a series of bombings and shootings that can mostly be traced to Taliban militants who have vowed to disrupt a democratic process they view as un-Islamic.

There was no claim of responsibility for the abduction of 25-year-old Ali Haider Gilani, but suspicion immediately fell on the Taliban.